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Two Handfuls Of Handhelds
rgarcia writes: "CNET has this story: Panasonic announced on Monday its first handheld computer, the Toughbook 01, which is designed to complement its notebook line of the same name. The consumer electronics maker has been selling into a niche in the notebook market by focusing on durable laptops that can withstand the shock of a fall and can resist moisture, dust and scratches. I know Ive dropped a few in my day. Damn things are fragile. Cool design, though I dont know if its actually better." And an unnamed reader points out that DALinux now has hardware available: "They claim it is Palm compatible, but it won't run palm apps - so what 'Palm compatible' means is anyone's guess. But it is a cool gadget, it runs Linux, and, most importantly, it is affordable." "Palm compatible" better at least mean painless address-book import.
"Palm compatible", in this case, means "sue me! sue me harder!"
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From the pictures of the PowerPlay III PDA (claims to be "Palm IIIxe Compatible") it looks like maybe it's compatible in that it looks the same.
Seriously though, it looks like they've created a very small embedded OS based on the Linux Kernel, and written apps that are approximately similar to those available on the Palm. It also looks like they're the same processor and hardware design, so it's quite probably Palm-OS compatible - they're just running their own OS instead.
There are Screen Shots available for apps that look remarkably like the screens on my Handspring running PalmOS.
The consumer electronics maker has been selling into a niche in the notebook market by focusing on durable laptops that can withstand the shock of a fall and can resist moisture, dust and scratches.
It's about time!. The lesson of Palm OS was that the functionality of an Apple ][ was enough for most people. A simple spreadsheet, messaging system, contacts and a notepad are a lot of what makes a computer useful. Bundle that in a low overhead package and make it durable and you've got a winner - what mobile professionals don't need is 300Mhz of super high color whiz-bang screen saver action that can dance along to their portable MP3 collection.
The value of a robust and simple computing platform over a feature-clogged overpriced china shop of a notebook has been obvious to me for a while. Thank goodness industry is getting the picture.
I found a review of the Palm clone... It seems decent, but not any more. If some of the apps get better, it might work for the vast majority of Palm users who need only a datebook & never install any extra apps (& therefore want it cheap).
I'm a bomb regardless
My guess -- if it fits in your hands, its 'palm compatible.'
Hell, I'm eating with my new 'palm compatible' spoon right now!
Well, perhaps it's similar to Agenda Computings VR3 that I own. It's palm compatible in the sense that I can send stuff easily back and forth using IR.
Coding:
I hope that it just 'looks' like palmOS, because PalmOS is way harder to code for than my VR3. but it'd be nice to run palm apps.
Pandora
Given that spending literally about twenty seconds on the website revealed that their OS runs on a Palm (see http://www.linuxda.com/store/index.html), I think it's a reasonable assumption that you can also upload (albeit with shady legal reprecussions) the Palm OS onto their system. Thus, their handheld is Palm-compatible in the same way that my FreeBSD box is Windows-compatible: the hardware is identical.
It has a Motorola Dragonball processor, so it looks like "Palm compatible" means same CPU. My iPaq uses Flash ROM just like my CD burner so I guess they are compatible with each other. If anyone can tell me how to burn CD's on my iPaq I'd really appreciate it.
Well, someone is clearly not an obsessive PDA geek.
Being one myself, however, I'd wager both of my shoes that "PalmIIIxe-compatible" means the body of the device works with III/VII-series peripherals (PalmPix, PPK(ooh), maybe even the various palm robots). Presumably, then, there is also the same kind of serial port. I think this is an excellent move on the manufacturer's part.
I'd like to note also that in my far from humble opinion, the IIIxe remains the best PalmOS device made by Palm.
Karma: T-rexcellent.
Research in Motion's Blackberry (950 and 957) are designed to never break. I throw mine against the wall all the time to show people (who all think I'm insane) and they don't have a scratch.
You have got to be kidding
This is why nerds cant pick up in public...
Umm, you can load PalmOS onto it...read first!
I'm not big on the bells and whistles either, but I find my vanilla Visor Deluxe to be the best purchase I made in a long time.
For serious data entry, I type it into the desktop software. 90% of data entry can be done this way, and the other 10% is the stuff I can keep in my head while writing, so it doesn't matter how slow it is.
I travel a lot, and sometimes have trouble getting onto the facility right after my plane lands. It's been a godsend to have the phone number of every person who has let me on, as well as building numbers and other info that is only useful for getting past security. It's also nice to have the number for that nice hotel I stayed at, so I know where to call when I go back in a year.
I've found that if I enter the data into my visor everytime I'm tempted to grab a slip of paper, then I'm not asking for info more than once. Phone numbers, IP addresses, user names for different systems, all go in, for easy retrival. I may even use one of the password keepers some day, and start using some real passwords.
I also love Project Guttenberg. Every time I have five minutes waiting for someone else, I can dig out a classic and read a few pages - and it's a lot easier than always having a paperback in my back pocket.
I'm not saying one of these is for everyone, but I've needed an appointment book, address book, and note holder for years, and I was never able to keep a huge appointment book. Finally, I can stop buying belated birthday cards!
I have dropped one, hard, but Visor seems to follow the computer maker's lead, and makes the exchange for a new one pretty painless. All the data is on the desktop, in a less portable form, but I didn't loose everything because of a hardware failure.
Anyway, it may not be for you, but for me, I was able to throw away 25 lbs of little paper notebooks and aborted attempts at address books - it's worth the cost of 12 AA batteries every year.
Of course, I'm a little hesitant to push that point so much. Sounds far too much like not-so-distant claims from Microsoft that if a whitebox shop didn't pay for a Windows license, they were obviously intending to pirate Microsoft products.
But if you paid $2000 for a laptop, or $300 for a PDA, wouldn't you take care of the damn thing? I know shit happens, but if it costs 2 large, some, "extra precautions" would probably be in order. . .
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I'd venture to guess that they have bought the guts of the Palm IIIxe's and put their own plastics around it. Doesn't it say it's Palm IIIxe compatible? They should have said "hardware compatible" so people here wouldn't freik out.
Looks like there are a few sane ones hanging here.
;/
"Anyone who stands out in the middle of a road looks like roadkill to me." --Linus
I've dropped my IIIxe a total of 12 times, from 1 foot to 15 feet (scaling a fence
Much as I've liked the various Palms and Visors that I have owned, you've been lucky. My first Palm III fell two feet onto a hard bathroom floor and cracked its screen. My replacement Palm III never got damaged but I could feel its case flex when I squeezed it enough to know that it would probably suffer the same fate if I dropped it. My Palm IIIc feels a little more rugged as do my Visor Deluxe and Visor Platinum but they aren't very rugged compared to other devices like cell phones.
Does this
Comment removed based on user account deletion
I agree with you, but also remember that any device you wear or carry around with you constantly needs to be much more rugged than most of today's devices are. The laptop needs to be more rugged than a desktop, but since it's usually in a pretty well padded case, it doesn't need to be nearly as rugged as a cell phone. People take them everywhere they go, and expect them to be able to handle a fall once in a while. The same should be true for PDAs. If they are advertised as "pocket sized" or wearable, people will take that to heart.
GreyPoopon
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Why is it I can write insightful comments but can't come up with a clever signature?
Those Symbol Palm based barcode machines are pretty damn tough. But here I have a hard time seeing the value in a $1000 PDA except for the most specialized industrial or military/law enforcement preprogrammed purposes. Sure all that 'throw it off the roof and run it over with the patrol car' shit is neat-o and I'd love a waterproof, shockproof EMP resistant that can operate in subzero temp survive a three story fall and a battery leak but a thousand bucks ??????
Holy bulletproof little black book Batman !!!
Hey look - they have an 'arm' clock. That sounds cool. They should put in an analog clock also though.
It's 10 PM. Do you know if you're un-American?
Any luck on a p100 48 mb RAM yet?
It's 10 PM. Do you know if you're un-American?
Sure, but things happen. I had a Visor (palmOS) that fell to the concrete while I was snapping the cover back on. I had been running and my hands were too sweaty. That didn't happen to break it, but it could have. Same one a year later I did manage to break. I had it out to turn off an alarm. I didn't put it back on the coffee table, but left it on the floor instead. The dog came over with a toy and we played a while, and I managed to put my knee on it. Oops, $80 to repair the screen.
Oh, that doesn't count the time I fell in a hot tub, but I didn't happen to have the PDA on me, just the cell phone...
If you have the thing with you every day for a large part of the day, it is going to be in a tad bit of danger now and again. It is nice if they are either rugged enough to handle it, or cheap enough to fix/replace when they do get killed.
Plus, I would love a supper rugged laptop, I could take it into the hot tub and read (photography) news while working out the day's stress (I wouldn't want to read the other kind of news...it increases stress).
Check out AbiWord.
That means it will fit in your palm with little modification.
Shouldn't that be with no modification?
My cell phone fits in my palm with no modification. My dick fits....
Those who would give up liberty in exchange for security and DRM should switch to Microsoft Palladium!
on the ILlinois State Police's transition to a wireless solution in their cars. They're all using Panasonic Toughbooks. Unfortunately, the current online issue is last month's, so Oct. won't be out for a little while. (But in any case it's a great magazine. If you want to stay on top of how companies are using cutting edge products in real world situations they have some great writeups.)
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